Pre-Paid Legal Expert in the News

Clues to someone's identity were available at nearly every dumpster in downtown Silverton. Identity thieves often steal personal information that is not properly disposed of at many businesses.

SILVERTON - Silverton area residents are going to great lengths to protect their identities. They shred, burn or use other means to destroy as much information as possible about themselves.

Names, addresses, phone numbers and account numbers are all goldmines for potential ID thieves, but even though local residents are going to greater lengths to protect themselves, are local businesses using the same level of precautions?

The Appeal Tribune took an identity theft expert, Ron Breeden, from Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc. in Aumsville, dumpster diving behind businesses on both public and private property in Silverton's downtown core to see what personal information was being thrown into recycling and trash. During the search, no locked trash or recycling bins were opened, and no barriers such as fences were crossed.